Shaking Through alums Snowmine from Brooklyn co-headlined Johnny Brenda’s on Friday night with Philly’s Norwegian Arms in tow, making their first local appearance since they were on Pattern Is Movement’s record release show in October. Also on the lineup was local psych / electro outfit Dream Safari. Check out photos of the show in the gallery below.

Brooklyn indie pop quintet Snowmine and Philadelphia favorites Norwegian Arms team up for a show at Johnny Brenda’s tonight. The former are celebrating the release of their new record Dialects, a cinematic and textural experience that the band pulls off exquisitely in a live setting. Bright alt-folk trio Norwegian Arms released their impressive and immersive Wolf Like a Stray Dog LP in 2012, following it up last year with a 7″ single for “Jitterbug,” which you can listen to below. Tickets and information for the 21+ show with Dream Safari can be found here.

Snowmine | photo via www.facebook.com/snowmineBrooklyn indie pop outfit Snowmine will release their new record Dialects on February 4th and will play a show at Johnny Brenda’s on February 7th in support of it. “Columbus” is the latest single off the record and shows that the band has continued to work in large sonic spaces with lots of elements. Snowmine pride themselves on creating textural songs, and they discussed their method in a 2011 Shaking Through episode (which you can watch here). Listen to “Columbus” below followed by “Rome,” which you can download for free. Tickets and information for the 21+ show with Norwegian Arms and Dream Safari can be found here.

Electronic chillwave/pop project Gracie plays Johnny Brenda’s tonight with Snowmine and Lockets. The moniker of local guy Andrew Balasia, Gracie has been sweeping us up and into its hypnotic beats since the For Summer EP dropped last year. Earlier this year Balasia took the project in a more experiemental and haunting direction with his Treehouse EP. For the upcoming Bleeder full-length, however, Balasia returned to the pop vein of For Summer and released the seductively anthematic “Creature Pleaser” this past summer. The 21+ show begins at at 9:00 p.m., more information is available here. Below, stream “Creature Pleaser” and download the name-your-own-price track from Gracie’s Bandcamp.

Before Brooklyn’s Snowmine envelope you in their intricate layers of texture and atmosphere at Johnny Brenda’s tomorrow night, take a listen to their new single “Saucer Eyes” from their now complete forthcoming record. Led by former classical music composer Grayson Sanders, Snowmine are experimental in their song construction, often using found-sounds and layering to achieve a sonic experience similar to that of an orchestra. Sanders discussed his band’s composition process in detail when they stopped by Philadelphia’s Miner Street Recordings and The Rotunda for a Shaking Through episode last November; you can watch the episode and download the resulting track called “Curfews” here.

If you’ve been to a Snowmine show before you’ll recall their beautiful use of projected images. For this tour, they are taking the sensory stimulation to another level with a new iPhone app they created. Called Colorbeast, the app converts sounds from the show into a kaleidoscope of visuals projected behind the band. To fully experience Snowmine’s lush aesthetic, get your tickets for their show at Johnny Brenda’s with Gracie and Locketshere. Stream “Saucer Eyes” below and download the name-your-own-price track on Snowmine’s Bandcamp.

While we wait patiently for Philly chillwave/pop musician Gracie’s upcoming Bleeder EP, let’s take a look back at the past spooktacular videos from frontman Andrew Balasia. Get into the Halloween mood with eerie archival footage and frightening cartoon clips in “Tryck R Treat”and “Sisters” below. Gracie plays Johnny Brenda’s on November 6th with Snowmine and Lockets. Tickets and information can be found here.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd
Scott Hansen is an artist with a vision. Before he debuted on the music scene as electronic composer Tycho, Hansen was known by his graphic design pseudonym, ISO50. As ISO50, Hansen produces intricate, often illusionary water color pieces—images that make an appealing first impression and grow more complex when scrutinized. His songs sound about the same. Hansen’s 2002 EP, Science Of Patterns, and the 2004 album Sunrise Projector hinted at his musical ideas, but it wasn’t until his 2011 album, Dive, that Tycho seemed to communicate in music what ISO50 did in visual art. Not surprisingly, Tycho’s current tour features a video component, which Hansen appropriately debuted on the ISO50 blog. Hansen will be playing both his music and visual art tonight in a show that’s certain to be sunny and synesthetic. Tycho performs with Beacon at 8:30 p.m.; tickets to the all-ages show are $5–$15. —Naomi Shavin

Since forming from the remains of Drink Up Buttercup, the members of White Birds have been quick to separate themselves from their former endeavor. Where Drink Up was fast and frantic, White Birds is slow and mellow. The band’s self-titled EP demonstrated just how much the members have evolved, with a dreamy tone and echoing harmonies. White Birds’ new album, When Women Played Drums, expands the fuzzy pop sound; the album comes out February 14th, but you can pre-order it now on Bandcamp. White Birds be joined at Kung Fu Necktie by Univox, whose Key Studio Session we posted earlier this week. White Birds performs with Univox and Tutlie at 8 p.m. at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets to the 21+ show are $10. —Nicole Soll

Snowmine front man Grayson Sanders has received praise for his mellow and melodious voice, with many noting similarities to both Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. The Brooklyn-based indie pop band’s debut album “Laminate Pet Animal” is obviously a tribute to all things natural and lullaby-esque, what with the use of odd instruments (including arbitrary household items, such as dish brushes and brooms) that help create a cultured sound. The band was featured as Weathervane Music’s Shaking Through artist for the month of November, and brings its Fleet Foxes-caliber potential to Johnny Brenda’s for the Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter showcase. Snowmine performs with Gracie and Tours at Johnny Brenda’s at 9:15 p.m; tickets to the 21+ show are $5. —Lisa Henderson

Augustana had a rough 2011. The San Diego-based quartet was dropped from its label, Epic, following disappointing sales of its third album, had to cancel a summer tour with Jack’s Mannequin, and lost several of the original band members. But just as rumors of the band breaking up surfaced, lead singer Dan Layus announced he and the remaining members would continue making music under the name Augustana. Dan Lamoureux, who had previously played keyboard with the band, returned on drums, and Augustana released dates for a short winter tour. Despite the changes in the band, Augustana’s rock sound remains the same, and their set will feature both new music and hits off previous albums, such as “Boston” and “Sweet and Low.” Augustana performs with Graffiti6 at 8 pm at Theatre Of Living Arts; tickets to the show are $17. —Nicole Soll

Tonight at Johnny Brenda’s, XPN Welcomes Philly bands Gracie and Tours (along with Snowmine from Brooklyn) for the Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter music series. Snowmine was recently featured on Shaking Through, XPN’s online video and audio collaboration with Weathervane Music. Chillwave act Gracie has an EP coming out next Tuesday on Small Plates Records called Treehouse. Below, you can watch the video for “Southern Place” from Gracie’s EP, and download “Curfews” by Snowmine. Snowmine performs with Gracie and Tours at 9:15 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $5.

Welcome to another edition of Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter. Instamatic is a electro-synth-pop dance band that includes TJ Adams, Steven Haslam, Rick Mitchell, Philip Schorn and additional vocals by Rose Luardo of Sweetheart. The band has a couple of dates coming up in February including a show at Milkboy on Saturday, February 4th and a show at The Level Room on Saturday, February 18th. Go here for more information. Below, download Instamatic’s three-song EP, which includes “Replacement For Life” (co-written by Dayve Hawke of Memory Tapes). The three songs on the EP are propulsive dance tracks that capture all the best elements of Donna Summer and The Human League. New wave-disco hasn’t sounded this good, since, well, new wave-disco of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Reminder: Don’t miss our first Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter show at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday, February 3rd with Philly’s Gracie, Tours, and headliners Snowmine. Go here for tickets and more information.

In our semi-regular Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter series, we’ve highlighted a handful of local acts whose music we’ve come across simply by searching through Bandcamp by location. (Previous posts have included artsits such as Ishe + Hezekiah Project, Acid Kicks, Coup Couroux, and Small Professor.) In early February, The Key and Johnny Brenda’s will present the first Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter concert, featuring Philadelphia’s Gracie and Tours, as well as the Brooklyn-based Snowmine (which was Shaking Through’s featured artist back in November). You can listen to tracks from all three artists below.

Snowmine performs with Grace and Tours at 9:15 p.m. Friday, February 3rd; tickets to the 21+ show are $5.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH